Its time now to move on.

I just to let everyone know that I have continued to receive hate comments from the perpetrators of this attack - now directed at me. They need to understand that their attacks simply make them look like radicalized zealots and their message gets lost. We see many examples of radicalized zealots in this world and we are always amazed that they can't find a better way to express themselves. This time, we get to see it close by.

As for me, I closed the blog because I believe that everyone has had the opportunity to express their point of view - and now it is time to move on. I have allowed my blog to be open so that all sides can air their views - and to demonstrate that nobody should fear words. Words often reveal more about the author than about the subject of those words. I have been disappointed by the behaviors I have seen exhibited by my letting my site be open.

I really don't care about the nasty things Peri is supposed to have done. That is immaterial to me. I continue to support Peri, Charles, and the Yoga Room to the fullest extent. I simply don't believe that Melinda and Bens actions, and the people that have provided them backing, are in the right for doing what they have done. I consider their actions despicable and I believe that, even in their participation in my blog, they have demonstrated what hate can do to one's soul.

Its a lovely day outside, lets all enjoy it.

YJ.

The Evil of Dr. Terry A Rondberg.

In October of 2006 I became a yogi. It is something I never imagined I would become. After all, I am a rather conservative electrical engineer more comfortable geeking out than chanting Om. Having recently relocated my office to Encinitas, California, and finding yoga studio here, there, and everywhere, I decided tentatively to give it a try. I went to the Yoga Room where they practice a flow they call the Synergy Flow. It is similar to the Bikram flow, but not quite as hot and intense and more spiritual. Although my first few sessions were really difficult, I was immediately hooked. I found my troubled ankle finally stopped aching, my constant acid reflux problem disappeared entirely, and a chronic cough I had had all my life was greatly reduced. What's more, I lost 35 lbs and regained the body I had in my 20's. I was so thrilled I have kept up synergy yoga ever since.

What made synergy yoga so special for me was the staff of the Yoga Room. From the founder, Peri Ness, her husband Charles, and all the other instructors, Roxy, Outi, Elia, Linda, Charmaine, Elizabeth, Derek, Wendy, Kim, and Jen, absolutely everyone was so nice. I really looked forward to the three times a week classes.

But then things changed. Peri went on sabbatical - for a very long time - six months. Whatever was wrong with Peri? Nobody wanted to say. And then some of the employees of the Yoga Room quit. Roxy's sister had been the manager. A few days before she quite I saw Peri arguing with her - it all seemed very unyoga like. And Matt at the front desk also disappeared, only to resurface as an employee at Starbucks a block away. Matt seemed to have become rather hateful and tried to encourage me to go someplace else - I didn't like the person Matt had become.

Finally though, Peri was scheduled to return from her mysterious sabbatical. But, within the space of 2 days in late January, something went very wrong. Roxy, Elia, and Derek suddenly were gone. Rumors started spreading. And then Charmaine, Daniel and Shane also disappeared. What was going on? Peri had returned but clearly there were big problems.

So what happened? Finally I started to piece it all together. Peri admitted to have had a debilitating back injury caused by a former student who was an "unlicensed" chiropractor. Peri also acknowledged the absence of much of her staff, but didn't give an explanation.

And then this whole thing turned very nasty and I got to see pure evil at work. Flyers were left on cars around the Yoga Room pointing students to a hate-filled website that charged that Peri with the most awful accusations. The Yoga Room was called a cult and Peri was ridiculed. She was criticized for not acknowledging the influence of Bikram Choudhury in her synergy flow (Interestingly she once did, back in 1997. If you know anything about the litigious Bikram Choudhury you would also know that he has trademarked his name and Peri can no longer reference his flow without the threat of a lawsuit). All in all, the nastiest charges were leveled against her. What was most disturbing was the degree to which this website had been put together - a lot of work went into it. Clearly it was the work of someone so obsessed with Peri's destruction that he had slipped across the line to become pure evil. And just who was the evil character behind this awful website? Dr. Terry A Rondberg, the very same chiropractor that had injured Peri. Oh how very strange.

So I began investigating Rondberg to see if I could understand what could have led him to become such an unsavory fellow. I was not expecting what I found. Turns out, this man has quite a jaded past. He is a chiropractor - in Arizona, if not in California - promoting a somewhat controversial aspect of the chiropractic profession. It seems he has had a lot of disputes in his career. Lots and lots of them. In 1980's he seems to have had a falling out with the legitimate chiropractic association in America. So what did he do? He created his own assocation, naming it the ever grander World Chiropractic Alliance and declared himself the president (for life apparently). I took a look at the WCA website. It immediately becomes apparent that this is the work of a deranged and paranoid mind – “they’re out to get us” seems to be its central theme. Everywhere I looked around the web I found disputes involving this man. If he wasn't suing someone, they were suing him. Over and over again I found lawsuits. It seems that all his lawsuits were dismissed as frivolous or without ground. I think his specialty is character assassination. This pattern repeats over and over, year after year - Rondberg goes on personal attacks of numerous people. How totally disgusting.

And then Bingo!!! I found what I guess I was looking for: http://www.stoprondberg.org/. An entire organization dedicated to stopping this man. The organization's rather tongue-in-cheek name, the Galactic Online Alliance. Clearly this was a reference to the self-aggrandizement practiced by Rondberg and his "World" Chiropractic Alliance. While the tone of this website also borders on extremism, I sense that a number of the rants and tirades against the founder of this website are probably anonymous posts by Rondberg. Rondberg seems to have disgusted a lot of people.

What struck me was how closely many of the nasty charges Rondberg would level at Peri seem to echo the charges against him on this website. Wow! Rondberg really seems to be a very sick individual. I gathered names I found on the web for Rondberg in the industry: The Darth Vader of Chiropractic, Dr. Wrongberg, Character Assassin, and my favorite, the Quack of all Quacks.

Well, for me, I find this all rather distasteful. How a doctor could be so nasty seems bewildering. So I have made my own choice, knowing that I still don’t know everything. I am going to support Peri Ness and the Yoga Room to the utmost extent I can. I enjoy the synergy flow and it is a part of my life now. There is no way it is a cult. Only a very weak minded individual would find that to be the case. Peri isn't a saint. I have seen her nasty side. And I have often observed her desire to be revered with some amusement. But it is harmless - she is running a business. She is not a monster. Actually, she is a rather nice person. She does not deserve this. And neither do the students of the Yoga Room.